Full Stop
At first we didn't even understand what was going on. Well, by we I mean those of us who do not hold degrees in astronomy and quantum physics. We were told that earth's spin was slowing and would come to a full stop in less than five years. The first real hint that something was going on was the sudden malfunction of all the GPS systems worldwide. Flights were shut down, and those of us who were raised in the computer age couldn't even find our way to work without it. It was about the second week when everything really started to go wrong. The oceans began flowing towards the poles. It really didn't seem like much but it gave me a horrible feeling, and I began to realize that something terrible was happening and there was nothing any of us could do about it. No one really knew why we were suddenly losing our spin, but rather, everyone had wild guesses. Some were saying that the experiments to dig to the center of the earth caused the magma in the core to stop flowing. Another attempt to blame the government, I supposed. Then there was the theory that our moon had fallen too far out of our magnetic field, causing chaos within the electromagnetic field that surrounded the earth. Lastly of course, there was the theory that aliens were to blame. However, in reality there were no real reasons, there was no forthcoming admission from the government or from aliens, and the moon sure as hell wasn't talking. The third month was when the looting started. As the oceans continued to flood the polar ice caps, the air in the tropics and certain cities of higher altitude soon became unbreathable. The scientists said it had something to do with the actual shape of the earth, but I really couldn't wrap my head around the whole concept. All I know is as people began to evacuate, people were being robbed at gunpoint, stores were having everything taken from them, and the stock market crashed. That was it. It took three months of us being under siege by an unknown and unnamed assailant for the world to fall into chaos. Humanity was losing everything that made them humane. I guess it really hit us around the fourth or fifth month of slowing. The earth was spinning at 225 kilometers per hour less than normal. The days were forty-eight hours long and the nights were as well. By now, the earth had fallen into a complete state of misanthropy. Humans were no longer welcome. The earthquakes started up. They were hitting in places that made no sense, and that had never seen earthquakes before. Long dead volcanoes were suddenly spewing ash and magma in torrents, thousands were dying, and they were not even going to be the last. As the oceans continued to move, Britain became connected to mainland Europe, something that had never been seen before. Ireland was part of England, Cuba was connected to Florida, and Mexico was three times its original size. The upheaval was throwing everything off, and fear and panic began to strike everyone. Even worse, only the top and bottom third of the globe were habitable. The air around the equator was basically nonexistent, not even the heartiest mountain climber could live there. It would have been like living somewhere three times the height of Mount Everest. With that came the solar radiation. That part was easy for all of us to understand. Stand in the sun more than fifteen minutes and you die. Pretty simple right? Only at first we didn't realize it. Did you know that the electromagnetic field prevents us from experiencing the worst of solar radiation and solar flares? Neither did I, I also didn't know that that same field is caused by Earth turning. Those who did stand outside too long died, well the lucky ones did. The others developed radiation sickness. It was horrible to watch. It was like those old videos of Hiroshima. By the time two and a half years had rolled around, the horrors that we had seen were like nothing you could possibly imagine. It is impossible to describe the low that humankind had fallen to, and what was seen by us at that low. Those people who had stayed in England, Russia, and Germany had died, as the water began to suck up part of the northern hemisphere. Even American cities as low as New York and Chicago were gone. Six billion people were wiped out. That is a number I cannot even begin to fathom. Our days were more than one-hundred-and-twenty-five hours long. That means it is light for more than sixty hours. Our brains weren't even being given a chance. With that the hallucinations were setting in. And the survivors of the radiation sickness had it the worst. They became the true version of zombies. They were eating people and living in cold damp caves. They crawl out during the twilight hours which lasts days now, and stalk people. They look for food whereever they can get it, which is usually not from animals. Seeing as all the migratory species have died out, and the non-migratory animals are smart enough to stay away. Even now, as we approach the fifth year, where it is light for six months and night for six months, these creatures continue to stalk us. Very few humans have chosen to band together, you never know when your partner is going to begin hallucinating from the lack of sleep, and be caught out too long during the day. I had such a partner, and it was the hardest thing I ever had to do, when I walked away from him. However, no matter how much you love your children, a monster is a monster. I don't really even know why I am writing this, other than in hopes that if there is anything out there in the cosmos, any living sentient being, they can understand what happened to us. I heard that there is a Mega Continent that opened up down by Florida, where air is still breathable for now, and there are seas in which to fish for food, but I don't know if I can make it. I want to, but in all honesty, I am so tired, and it is hard to discern reality from fiction. And it is starting to get darker during the day. I know those creatures will be back. With their skin falling from their bodies, and their hair missing patches. The real nightmare though? Knowing that this will never end, and if it does, none of us will survive. So please, if you see me? Kill me. Category:Science Category:Diary/Journal